A reader in Texas sent this item my way. From Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, via Google Translate, news of a fire that destroyed a local church but left an image of the Virgin Mary virtually untouched: The heroic staff emptied the water department hoses ..and put out the fire. The chapel was reduced to rubble and it was when they began to remove the charred remains that they discovered the “miracle”. The wooden box [frame] with the image of the Virgin... Read more
Details from the Christian Post: An atheist activist group is claiming a victory in its ongoing effort to keep religious expression and symbols out of the U.S. armed services after it was announced that the Department of Defense is removing military edition Bibles from its exchange stores. A chaplain alliance group is asking Congress to investigate whether the action taken was religious discrimination. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) said that the Holman Christian Standard Bibles editions “prominently emblazoned with exact... Read more
A clever way of promoting the upcoming Fortnight for Freedom, via the USCCB. (H/T Rocco) Read more
The Holy See’s statement about yesterday’s meeting: “The purpose of the meeting was to present the Holy See’s evaluation of the text submitted in April by the Society of St. Pius X in response to the Doctrinal Preamble which the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith had presented to the Society on 14 September 2011. The subsequent discussion offered an opportunity the provide the appropriate explanations and clarifications. For his part, Bishop Fellay illustrated the current situation of the... Read more
Details, from the Tampa Tribune: The Rev. Peter Ruggere began his seminary training when Roman Catholics were still celebrating Mass in Latin. By the time he was ordained a priest in 1968, the church had gone through massive changes with Vatican II, a council which sought to align the centuries-old religious institution with the modern world and brought sweeping reforms to Catholicism. One of those was implementing English in Mass, making it more accessible and participatory for Americans. “The Latin... Read more
On Sunday, the day after his ordination, Deacon James Carper gives Rachel Elizabeth Fernandez First Communion at St. Peter Claver Parish in Simi Valley, CA. He was one of 14 men ordained to the diaconate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles — and early in his life, he intended to become a Presbyterian minister. Read his journey here. And learn about the other men ordained on 9 June here. Congratulations! Ad multos annos! Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg / Ventura... Read more
Am I the only one who thinks he’s lucky he lived this long? The mobster-turned-protected-witness-turned-cultural-icon was 69. From the AP: Longtime girlfriend Lisa Caserta told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Hill died of complications from longtime heart problems related to smoking. An associate in New York’s Lucchese crime family, Hill told detailed, disturbing and often hilarious tales of life in the mob that first appeared in the 1986 book “Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family,” by Nicholas Pileggi, a... Read more
The New York Times profiles the only priest ordained in the Archdiocese of New York this year, Fr. Patric F. D’Arcy: Being the archdiocese’s sole member of the Class of 2012 is a slightly uncomfortable distinction for Father D’Arcy, 33, a soft-spoken man who prefers to stay out of the spotlight. He is not a native New Yorker, nor even an American citizen. Father D’Arcy comes from a small suburb of Toronto, about 80 miles northwest of Niagara Falls, and... Read more
Catholic News Service‘s Carol Glatz says: Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, arrived at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at 5 p.m. this evening for a meeting with U.S. Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the doctrinal congregation. News reports earlier said Cardinal Levada would relay to Bishop Fellay Pope Benedict XVI’s response to his latest suggestions regarding a “doctrinal preamble” the Vatican wants him to sign in order to reconcile... Read more
And the setting is not only a basilica — the only one in the Archdiocese of New York — but also a legendary church used as a movie set: Alec Baldwin will reportedly tie the knot this weekend with his yoga instructor. The Hollywood actor and his fiancée Hilaria Thomas are planning a Catholic wedding at a “storied New York church”, according to the New York Post. Alec – who proposed to 28-year-old yoga instructor Hilaria in April – will... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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